SpeakerNet News Teleseminars
Be the Go-To Emcee That
Event Organizers Love to Book
(webcast)
Guest Expert:
Steve Bustin, PSAE
(About Steve)
How to order the recording:
Webcast video:
- If you order the recording, you will get a link to the recorded video of the online webcast.
Additional resources for this program:
- A link to the handout will also be sent to you with the recording.
The Program:
“Please welcome your host for today...<enter your name here>.”
Emcee (or MC), compere, host, facilitator — whatever you want to call it — is what many speakers want to add to their roster of services. Why? Because they think, “How difficult can it be?” You’re confident on stage and enjoy being in front of an audience so it’s a pretty similar job to speaking, right?
Wrong.
Being an event emcee can be fun, creative and a great revenue stream for a speaker with the right talents. It can also be scary, challenging and one of the toughest jobs in the speaking industry. You’re often the first to arrive and last to leave an event. You’re often working with a constantly changing script (or no script at all) and flying by the seat of your pants. You don’t get a warm-up — as you ARE the warm-up, so you need to be able to handle all types of audiences. You also have to accept that people are hear to listen to the speakers — not you.
Yet you also get to set the tone of an event, interact with the audience and even become their friend. You can improv your way out of a problem and save an event that’s falling apart (or falling behind). You can be an event organizer’s best friend — and good emcees can be booked for the same event year after year, unlike a keynote speaker. And you can be booked for everything from conferences and meetings to black tie fundraisers.
In this session we explore what’s involved in being a great emcee, how to know whether the role is for you, and (if it is for you) how to get bookings. We talk about ways to connect with an audience and lift an event, the art of introducing the speakers, and why raffles and prize drawings can suck the energy out of a room. We talk about what makes an emcee eminently bookable and why the biggest compliment you can get is to be considered “a safe pair of hands.”
You will learn:
- whether you’re cut out to be an emcee and what types of events you might be suitable for
- the differing demands on the emcee from the audience, the speakers and the event organizer
- the art of giving speakers a great introduction onto the stage
- tricks for keeping things going on stage when the wheels have come off backstage
- how to get bookings as an emcee
More about our guest expert:
Steve Bustin is an in-demand event emcee, based in the UK and working internationally at conferences, trade shows, award ceremonies, fundraisers and a myriad of other events. He’s a holder of the prestigious Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence (PSAE) from the Professional Speaking Association UK & Ireland and is a former National President of PSA UKI. Steve recently emcee’d the opening and closing days of the Global Speaking Summit in Dublin, Ireland and sits on the Board of the Global Speakers Federation.
Steve also speaks on communication and engagement and also on his discovery that he’s the face of an international online dating scam. He’s the host of the free monthly Speech Club (like a book club, but for speeches) and Critique Club, his small-group mastermind coaching programme for speakers. He’s a former BBC News journalist and a recovering PR agency owner.
SpeakerNet News is produced by Rebecca Morgan and Ken Braly. It is not affiliated with the National Speakers Association. Send comments or suggestions